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One day Solomon decided to humble1 Benaiah, his most trusted minister. He said to him, “Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot which gives you six months to find it.”
“If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty,” replied Benaiah, “I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?”
“It has magic powers,” answered the king. “ If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy.” Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility2.
Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by an older merchant who had begun to set out the day’s wares on a shabby3 carpet. “Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?” asked Benaiah.
He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave4 something on it. When Be－naiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile.
That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. “Well, my friend,” said Solomon, “have you found what I sent you after?” All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled.
To everyone’s surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, “Here it is, your majesty!” As soon as Solomon read the inscription5, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew let－ters on the gold band: “Gimel, zayin, yud”, which began the words “Gam zeh ya’avor”—“This too shall pass.”
At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous6 wealth and tremendous7 power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.
一天，所罗门决定挫一挫他最信任的大臣比拿雅的锐气。他对比拿雅说：“比拿雅，有一枚戒指我非常想要，希望你能找来给我。我想在住棚节（纪念祖先在荒漠中的流离历史）那天戴上它。你还有六个月的时间去找它。”
“只要这个世界上有，尊敬的陛下，”比拿雅回答，“我就会找来给您，但那枚戒指究竟有什么特别的地方呢？”
“它有魔力，”国王回答，“快乐的人看见它就会变得悲伤；悲伤的人看见它就会变得快乐。”所罗门知道世界上根本就没有这样一枚戒指，但他希望他的大臣尝一尝受挫的滋味。
春去夏来，比拿雅还是不知道在哪儿能找到那枚戒指。在住棚节前的一天晚上，他决定到耶路撒冷最贫穷的地区走一走。在那里，他看见一个上了年纪的小商贩正在把他那天要出售的货物摆放在一条破旧的地毯上。“你听说过这样一枚有魔力的戒指吗，快乐的人戴上它会忘记喜悦，悲伤的人戴上它会忘记伤痛？”比拿雅问。
那位老人从地毯上拿起一枚普通的金戒指，在上面刻了些什么。比拿雅读那枚戒指上的字时，脸上绽放出一个灿烂的笑容。
在住棚节那天晚上，整座城市都沉浸在庆祝住棚节的喜悦中。“好，我的朋友，”所罗门说，“你找到我要你找的东西了吗？”所有的大臣都大笑起来，所罗门自己也在微笑。
令每一个人都感到惊讶的是，比拿雅举起一枚小小的金戒指，宣布道：“给您，尊敬的陛下！”所罗门一看到那上面刻着的字，脸上的笑容立刻就消失了。那个珠宝商在那枚金戒指上刻的是三个希伯来字，意思是：“这也将过去。”
正是在那时，所罗门意识到他所有智慧和惊人的财富，以及强大的力量都是短暂的，因为，总有一天，他会归于尘土。
烟雨江南 摘译自Life
“If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty,” replied Benaiah, “I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?”
“It has magic powers,” answered the king. “ If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy.” Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility2.
Spring passed and then summer, and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring. On the night before Sukkot, he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by an older merchant who had begun to set out the day’s wares on a shabby3 carpet. “Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?” asked Benaiah.
He watched the grandfather take a plain gold ring from his carpet and engrave4 something on it. When Be－naiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile.
That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. “Well, my friend,” said Solomon, “have you found what I sent you after?” All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled.
To everyone’s surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, “Here it is, your majesty!” As soon as Solomon read the inscription5, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew let－ters on the gold band: “Gimel, zayin, yud”, which began the words “Gam zeh ya’avor”—“This too shall pass.”
At that moment Solomon realized that all his wisdom and fabulous6 wealth and tremendous7 power were but fleeting things, for one day he would be nothing but dust.
一天，所罗门决定挫一挫他最信任的大臣比拿雅的锐气。他对比拿雅说：“比拿雅，有一枚戒指我非常想要，希望你能找来给我。我想在住棚节（纪念祖先在荒漠中的流离历史）那天戴上它。你还有六个月的时间去找它。”
“只要这个世界上有，尊敬的陛下，”比拿雅回答，“我就会找来给您，但那枚戒指究竟有什么特别的地方呢？”
“它有魔力，”国王回答，“快乐的人看见它就会变得悲伤；悲伤的人看见它就会变得快乐。”所罗门知道世界上根本就没有这样一枚戒指，但他希望他的大臣尝一尝受挫的滋味。
春去夏来，比拿雅还是不知道在哪儿能找到那枚戒指。在住棚节前的一天晚上，他决定到耶路撒冷最贫穷的地区走一走。在那里，他看见一个上了年纪的小商贩正在把他那天要出售的货物摆放在一条破旧的地毯上。“你听说过这样一枚有魔力的戒指吗，快乐的人戴上它会忘记喜悦，悲伤的人戴上它会忘记伤痛？”比拿雅问。
那位老人从地毯上拿起一枚普通的金戒指，在上面刻了些什么。比拿雅读那枚戒指上的字时，脸上绽放出一个灿烂的笑容。
在住棚节那天晚上，整座城市都沉浸在庆祝住棚节的喜悦中。“好，我的朋友，”所罗门说，“你找到我要你找的东西了吗？”所有的大臣都大笑起来，所罗门自己也在微笑。
令每一个人都感到惊讶的是，比拿雅举起一枚小小的金戒指，宣布道：“给您，尊敬的陛下！”所罗门一看到那上面刻着的字，脸上的笑容立刻就消失了。那个珠宝商在那枚金戒指上刻的是三个希伯来字，意思是：“这也将过去。”
正是在那时，所罗门意识到他所有智慧和惊人的财富，以及强大的力量都是短暂的，因为，总有一天，他会归于尘土。
烟雨江南 摘译自Life